Karrierewege und -orientierungen in Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft im Vergleich – Ausdifferenzierung vs. Zuspitzung?

After long years of fierce debate on the reform of academic career paths in Germany this article sums up the current state of academic careers in the country. The author compares and contrasts career paths and orientations in scientific institutions with those in business corporations. The study reveals that a differentiation of career paths is underway in the corporate sector, albeit tentatively, whereas the academic sector focuses more than ever on only one goal, namely obtaining a professorship. This difference in career paths is also reflected in the career orientations of the employees. In companies the author identifies three different types of orientations that can be interpreted as reactions to very different features of the structural changes in the business world. In academia, which is characterised by intense competition among a constantly growing number of academics for an almost stagnant number of permanent posts, three orientations can also be identified. However, they differ from the responses of their peers in business because they are based on subjective perceptions of the likelihood of career success under these conditions.